On May 20th, 2022, we released our latest feature film Machination via Vimeo On Demand. We knew this would be our release date since early April. We contacted a PR agency, October Coast, to premiere our trailer, spread the news about the release, garner interviews and reviews for the film, and basically help launch Machination. So far, so typical, right?
Not necessarily. The trend these days seems to be to release micro-budget films via a small distributor or a marketplace like FilmHub, wait for platforms like Amazon or Tubi to pick-up the film and randomly begin streaming it, and only then begin promoting the film. The idea is to release “everywhere all at once” so viewers have choices where to watch the film. They can also watch it immediately, instead of waiting for a particular date.
It is the instant gratification release, designed for an audience who have infinite entertainment options, and no patience to wait for your micro-budget film. This idea is heavily promoted by FilmHub CEO Alan d'Escragnolle, and is discussed in this video here.
And I understand the logic behind it. Viewers are swamped with options for films and television on a multitude of streaming platforms. If somebody sees a trailer or a review for your micro-budget film, and they can’t watch it because it isn’t released yet, they are just going to forget about it. It is wasted promotion.
But I would argue otherwise. There is an old advertising maxim known as the Rule of 7 which says people need to be exposed to the advertiser’s message at least seven times before they’ll take action to buy that product or service. This rule was actually developed by the movie industry in the 1930s, when studio bosses discovered they needed a certain amount of advertising to convince the audience to go watch one of their movies.
Today, when we are swamped with even more ads than viewing options, it can take up to 20 repetitions of an ad to make a conversion. Or twenty reviews, twenty promos and trailer views, twenty interviews about the film, etc. So why not begin your promotional campaign early, before the film is released, and give yourself a chance to become memorable?
Hollywood builds anticipation for their films by releasing coming soon teasers and trailers and news articles. As micro-budget filmmakers, we often can’t follow the strategies of Hollywood as we don’t have the budgets or reach to compete with their marketing onslaught. But to dismiss all of their strategies and say none of it can work for micro-budget films is folly. We can operate like Hollywood, at least on a tiny scale, if our films appeal to a specific niche.
Take Machination. It is our first feature in the horror genre. A controlled, patient release plan led to hundreds of dollars worth of sales on May 20th via Vimeo On Demand, a transactional video on demand platform (TVOD) many indie filmmakers dismiss because common wisdom says the audience won’t pay to watch a micro-budget film on a minor platform like Vimeo. Having a release date and working towards it also led to Machination receiving a positive review in the LA Times, plus myself, Sarah and lead actor Steffi Thake doing numerous press interviews, and our trailer being shared by multiple outlets, many of them related to horror.
Clint Morris, CEO of October Coast PR, agrees that a release date is needed to maximize publicity:
“Critics generally need a good month's notice, especially on a theatrical release, if they’re going to consider reviewing it. If we hit them up post-release, it’s usually ‘crickets’ sadly – most publications refuse to review anything that’s already out.”
Now, in the long run, I know Vimeo sales are going to be miniscule compared to when Machination is released on the bigger platforms like Amazon and Tubi, which reach millions of people. A lot of micro-budget filmmakers find Tubi to be their best paying platform, and this operates on a Advertising Video On Demand model (AVOD), meaning the film is free to view and you get paid through ads that screen throughout the film. But when 90% of revenue from sales on Vimeo On Demand comes back to you, why not try to drive some transactional sales first before going straight to AVOD?
We have Machination on FilmHub. When it does hit the Tubi’s of the world, we’ll follow up outlets with a press release and run ads on Facebook, putting the film back in the spotlight. A patient, prolonged, multi-layer release strategy. One platform at a time. Each new platform becomes a new milestone to promote.
I am going to sound like I am contradicting myself here by saying take your film release slow, when we do encourage fast filmmaking and diversifying income by having multiple films in the market. But sometimes patience pays off.
Take documentary filmmaker Keith Ochwat, founder of the Show&Tell platform, designed to educate filmmakers about distribution and fundraising and host virtual screenings. His self-distributed documentary Age of Champions screened in over 3000 communities and generated $1.5 million in revenue through partnerships and sponsorships. It took over two years to distribute the film but I am confident to say they made much more in those two years than they ever would have made by taking an offer from a distributor or releasing the film to the streamers “everywhere all at once”.
We are aiming to follow a similar path with our documentary Cats of Malta. It feels right for that particular film. And that is the key. Each film is different. Each film needs a tailored release plan. Perhaps the “release it randomly and then promote it” strategy is right for your film. And that’s fine, many distributors and platforms like FilmHub will agree with you. But I prefer planning rather than scrambling. Control rather than randomness. Anticipation rather than instant gratification.
Much like we work towards a production date when making a film, I want to work towards a release date when distributing a film. What about you?
Written by Ivan Malekin